Designated Emphasis for Ph.D. students

Requirements for the Designated Emphasis

Graduate students from other departments may obtain a designated emphasis in CRES by completing the following requirements in addition to the requirements for the doctorate in their home department:

The student must have a designated graduate adviser from the CRES program principal or affiliated faculty. The student must meet with this CRES adviser to develop a coherent plan for meeting the requirements for the designated emphasis, preferably before the end of the students first year. This plan must be approved by the CRES Program Director.

A member of the CRES principal or affiliate faculty (usually the CRES graduate adviser) must serve on the student's qualifying examination committee and/or on the student's dissertation committee.

The student must prepare a significant piece of scholarly writing in the area of CRES. This writing may take the form of a substantial seminar paper, a master's essay, or a portion of the doctoral dissertation. The student's CRES adviser will determine whether a particular piece of writing meets this requirement.

The student must take four relevant graduate seminars taught by CRES program faculty. One relevant graduate seminar taught by non-program faculty may be counted with the approval of the CRES adviser. The adviser may also approve the substitution of an individual or group independent study addressing a set of readings or focused on research and writing for one of the four required graduate courses. The specific courses used must reflect a coherent plan of study that embodies both breadth and focus.

Students pursuing the designated emphasis are encouraged to serve as a teaching assistant for at least one CRES core or elective course. CRES faculty are encouraged to appoint CRES designated emphasis students as teaching assistants when possible and appropriate.

Proposing and Obtaining the Designated Emphasis

Once a plan for meeting the requirements is agreed upon, the student should complete the application, obtain the CRES adviser's and Program Director's signatures, and submit the application to the CRES administrative office. The request for the designated emphasis must originate in the degree-granting department.

Once the requirements have been met, the student submits relevant documentation to the CRES administrative office for final approval by the CRES Program Director. At a minimum, the student must submit copies of the qualifying examination and/or Dissertation Committee Nomination forms and a letter from the adviser confirming that the writing sample and proposed courses have been completed. If the proposed courses have changed, an explanation of the changes should be included.

The CRES administrative office will notify the student and the home department of approval for completion of the designated emphasis.